User Reviews

Strengths: The I-drive system really works! This bike Pedals like butter over rough and uphill terrain!

Weaknesses: The stock SDG saddle is hard on the goods. GT is now owned by Pacific Cycles. As the bike comes stock it is heavy.

Bottom Line:

This is a great bike and well worth every penny. I have been riding this bike for two years and I've only made a few changes. The first was the saddle. The stock SDG saddle has to go right away. I replaced it with a Specialized BG Rival, very nice to the goods. I changed the other stuff to lighten the bike a little (very little). The bike is a little heavy with all the stock components. The Rock Shox Pilot Air front fork does the job. The Fox float rear air shock makes bumps and drops seem like flat smooth ground. The I-drive does away with pedal bob and really puts all of you hard pedaling effort to the ground. The Shimano brakes are fantastic. If you ride XC and light to medium trails test ride this bike before you spend more money on a more expensive bike that will not be any better. I guarantee you will not be sorry. If you ride harder trails look at the Idrive 1.0. If you ride Down Hill buy a down hill bike. This is not one and I fear you will be disappointed. 5 Flamin' Chilis for an overall awesome bike!!!!!

Strengths: Great bike for the money! Perfect for folks who are new to MTBing (or new to FS bikes, as i was). The bike's handles like a deer when flat or downhill. Stylish frame design, i-drive mech is sweet-- you can roll over all kinds of junk and just keep pedaling away! I think the bike climbs well (though slowly). The syncros comps (including Big Box Abuser Friendly wheels) are real' nice.

Weaknesses: Not the best specs: alivio f-der, deore rear, etc (but this IS a 1g bike after all) The Tioga tires that came stock wore out VERY quickly. Oh, and yes...it weighs a ton:(

Bottom Line:

This is a great bike and I'd recommend it as I did in 'Strengths' section. Very tough MTB that has taken a heck of a lot of abuse from a hard riding clydesdale. 5 chilis for value and 4 overall just cause i love riding it. Had some probs with the Big Box rear wheel and hub, but my dealer had GT replace it with WTB goodies!! The whole 'Pacific bought out GT' thing worried me some, especially with re to warranty and possible frame issues or probs, but I've had absolutely no problems.

Weaknesses: Pretty soft, Front detailer doesn’t want to change down on first attempt

Bottom Line:

Once I pumped the shocks up 25psi front and 110psi rear (I'm 72Kg)and got the tires up to around 55-60psi it is all sweet! The front is a bit loose but I haven't done enough miles to be confident that that isn't just me being use to a lot less travel on the forks. She has always downhilled very smoothly!!! With the higher pressure rides very well on single track and climbs well too. Being in Perth OZ there are very few GT's so it stands out and looks great. (Call me vain)

If you are strapped, this a decent way to get pedalling. But you will quickly realize (as people are passing you continuously) that this bike is an entry level option. It is VERY mushy going up hill compared to it's competitors (Blur XT, etc). The shocks have no lock offs, so you are really bobbing. But while you won't win any races uphill, you can totally scream going down. The downhill ride over anything up to about a 5 foot drop is totally plush. Really fun. But you will break the "flexbone" on the bottom bracket if you ride "all mountain" as I did. So be prepared to replace it. Most riders are actually doubling them because of this problem. But if dragging a 31 pound mushy cow uphill is not an issue for you; you will definitely enjoy the ride down. I switched to the Intense Spider XVP and WOW! am I soooo much happier. Poorer; but happier.

Strengths: this bike is a great climber. nothing climbs as smoothly as this monster does. idrive is wonderful and its worth every ounce of extra weight that it adds to the frame. great components for the price paid.

Weaknesses: bikes a bit heavy ~30 pounds

Bottom Line:

this bike rocks with all the new components. do ur self a favour and buy this bike. idrive wont be there for long so grab one when u can.

Bike Setup: now i have shimano deore xt dual control levers on it, with deore xt front derrailuer and deore xt rear deraailluer. i aslo have front and rear shimono deore xt hydraulic disc brakes on it. got the upgrades and installed for 574 dollars canadian. yup i got a great deal.

this is an eight month update on my original review. I have put several hundred miles on this bike with almost no problems. the trails that I ride are mostly rocky, rooty, very technical trails with steep downhills and stiff climbs. the GT has handled everything I was brave enough to ride with no trouble. I recently upgraded the fork to a marzocchi mx comp 120 mm. a big improvement over the rs pilot. the front der. (alivo) requires regular adjustment and still often requires a couple of stabs at the shifter to shift up. I plan to upgrade soon. the rear triangle is to narrow to put a larger rear tire than 1.95 or some 2.00. watch this when replacing tires. the fox float rear shock is only adjustable for preload, but I haven't really noticed the lack. it keeps the rear wheel hooked up on climbs, absorbs rocks and roots well, and I still haven't noticed it bottoming out. the syncros big box rims are still straight and true with no flat spots. All in all this is a killer bike for the money. a month after I got mine, my gf bought one in size small. we have had no real problems with either bike whatsoever. upgrading to five flamers!

One of the best full suspension bikes for under $1000. i drive climbs like a champ and descends nice too. I will probably upgrade the front fork next season as it tends to not hold air pressure. I will see how long the syncros wheels last too. GT had a bad rap for the last few years with the xcr's and i drive frames cracking. It appears they have redesigned the seat post to prevent this. I also heard Pacific no longer owns GT but a Canandian company does. Hopefull GT can get back on track. I have been riding an LTS for years now without any problems. I ride this bike to work everyday and take it out on the weekends and ride pretty hard. 3-5 foot drops are common.

Strengths: i drive works great. component spec is good for this price (fox and rockshocks front and rear, mech. disc brakes, syncros wheels are tough and fairly light) bike handles well and climbs well.

I am an ex bmxer\freestyler who hasn't pedaled a bike in over 20 years so I did a lot of research before choosing a bike. the GT offered the best bang for the buck that I could find in a new bike. The rear suspension, once dialed in (I had to buy a shock pump), has worked great. Remain seated, select a gear, and it keeps the back wheel hooked up nicely on climbs. I weigh 160 lbs and ride rock gardens, steps, jumps, and drops over 2 feet and have yet to bottom the rear shock. The pilot sl fork works pretty well (I found that running 5 psi over the recommended pressure helps me) but I plan on upgrading to a 5 inch fork with bigger stanchions to slow down the handling and stiffen the front end. I have only had the bike a little over a month but I ride daily on tight singletrack with very technical streches and have had no reliability issues. The stock tioga tires get great traction on the terrain in my area and handle rocky technical stuff well, no pinch flats so far. They wear kind of fast but that is the price you pay for traction. Overall an excellent bike, ditch the bunbuster seat, put a comfortable bar\stem on it and give it hell. I would reccomend this bike to any beginning to intermediate rider looking for an affordable dual suspension bike.